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Greatest hits compilation from one of the true greats! Tracks include "Zulu Nation Throw Down", "Planet Rock", "Looking For The Perfect Beat", "Frantic Situation", "Unity Part 7", "What Time Is It", and "Funk You".

The first ever compilation of Indonesian psychedelia from AKA is a great one – fuzzy prog and funk steeped jams that the group tore up throughout the 70s – as cool as any single artist global rock compilations we've seen in quite a while! The group formed in Surabaya, East Java and went on to record a slew of albums throughout the 70s, but never really busted out big in it's time. Now's a great time for the world to catch up! They sing in English, and the songs are really exciting, changing tempos as they roll along incredibly, with a sound built around drums, bass, keys and guitars. Lead singer and keyboard player shines pretty brightly, but each group member sings and kills it in their own realms. Amazing! Includes "Do What You Like", "Glenmore", "Reflection", "We've Gotta Work It Out". "Cruel Side", "Groovy", "Mr Bull Doc", "Shake Me", "Crazy Joe", "Open Doors", "Sky Rider" and the CD bonus track "AKA Untuk Mu". 15 in all.

A really wonderful back to basics session for Basie – featuring arrangements by longtime band members Frank Foster, Erick Dixon, Bobby Plater, and Thad Jones! The set also features vocals on 2 tracks by bluesy vocalist Richard Boone – a singer with a really great scatting approach – but overall, the real strength is the horn section, particularly Al Aarons, Dixon, and Eddie Lockjaw Davis – who all get in some very nice solo work. Tracks are mostly older numbers, Basie-ized – and played with a laidback tone that's a real contrast from the higher energy early 60s recordings. Titles include "Squeeze Me", "Frankie & Johnny", "Boone's Blues", "I Got Rhythm", and "Hey Jim".

A hip little set from The Beat Boys – an Argetine group working in late 60s Brazil, supposedly with a bit of an influence on the sound of Tropicalia! The sound here is a bit straighter than the work of Caetano Veloso or Os Mutantes – a bit in the Jovem Guarda sound of more mainstream Brazilian rock, but with some hipper influences too – including a strong Beatles influence that makes for some great harmonies on the vocals, and instrumentation that really pushes beyond the standard straight Anglo rock modes of the time. Instrumentation features some fuzzy guitars, which are occasionally a bit tripped-out – plus organ, bass, and drums – all topped by echoey vocals from the group. Titles include "O Meu Tamborim", "A Time For Remembrance", "A Felicidade", "Wake Me Shake Me", "Sempre Esperando", "Aria Para A Corda Sol", and "Era Uma Menina". CD reissue features some great notes on the band, plus some vintage photos – and also includes the bonus track "Canudinho".

A really bold step forward for this cool Chilean combo of the late 60s – a set that still has all the raw garagey energy of their previous work, yet which also has them taking a lot more chances in the studio too! The album has this great core sound that's heavy in twang and fuzz – yet also frequently couches the music in larger ideas around the frame of the songs – not exactly Sgt Peppers material, but with a trippy aesthetic that really echoes the generation! At their core, these guys are still Anglo-inspired rockers, but it's great to hear what they're percolating on their own as well. Titles include "Civilizacion", "Obertura En Sol Mayor", "A Margarita", "La Tierra De Las Noches Largas", "Rodolfo Valentino", and "Postal No 56".

Ray Bryant's turning his heavy-hands version of the piano to a set of film themes here – grooving familiar numbers with a nice little soul jazz groove – but still also keeping a bit of a soundtrack feel! Richard Wess scored some larger arrangements for the record – providing a sweeping backdrop that's a nice foil for Ray's piano – and titles include "Exodus", "Laura", "Affair To Remember", "True Love", "Three Coins In A Fountain", "The High & The Mighty" and "On Green Dolphin Street".

A second helping of Latin Beat from Cesar's Salad – and a feverish, funky and tight set on Perfect Toy that's easily as strong its predecessor! Led by percussionist Cesar Granados – who really knocks us out on the congas – the group is a quartet with a raw approach and a live feel. Rooted in 60s and 70s Afro-Cuban jazz, soul and funk, they do it with a modern, hard-grooving immediacy. Hajo Von Hadeln is on drums, Jo Junghanss on the piano, and Jerker Kluge on bass – and we really love the big sound from this small combo! Titles include "Jenjere", "El Dynamico", "Watermelon Man", "Song For My Father", "Pushing Spaces", "Bahamas", "Recordame", "On Broadway" and more.

A legendary run of music from the late, great Sam Cooke – almost all of his recordings for RCA Records, packaged here in one sweet little package! The scope of the set is wonderful – and almost something of a revelation, given that a number of these titles have never appeared on CD in the US before – making this collection a real discovery in soul music! Cooke first came out of the underground in the late 50s – and by the time he hit RCA, was really ready to take on new challenges – recording some key tracks that would help redefine the sound of soul for the 60s – and also working on some special album projects that expanded the range of work that he was handling – showing off some great sides of his talents. The set features the killer live album One Night Stand – recorded at the Harlem Square Club – plus the studio albums Cooke's Tour, Hits Of The 50s, Swing Low, My Kind Of Blues, Twistin The Night Away, Mr Soul, and Night Beat – all packaged in these cool little LP-styled sleeves!

A great later record by The Cramps – still stomping their inimitable brand of seedy, sexy macabre-billy in as fine of a form as they'd been in a number of years by this point! After the slicked-up studio sound of the preceding Flamejob, they wisely strip the production polish away for a rawer sound here – though still less murky than the late 70s and early 80s recordings. It's the right balance! Really fun stuff from legendary act that really don't get enough praise for their consistently solid records in the later years. Includes "Cramp Stomp", "God Monster", "It Thing Hard-On", "Shena's In A Goth Gang", "Queen Of Pain", "Devil Behind That Bush", "Super Goo", "Hypno Sex Ray", "Wet Nightmare", "Badsass Bug", "Haulass Hyena" and more.

Sweet beats from Damu – and a cut that's heavy on a moogy sample from Jean-Jacques Perry – one you'll recognize from a famous track, but used much differently here – in a really moody way!

Sweet beats from Damu – and a cut that's heavy on a moogy sample from Jean-Jacques Perry – one you'll recognize from a famous track, but used much differently here – in a really moody way!

A wonderful memoir from the glory days of the Italian soundtrack scene – penned by Franco De Gemini (aka "The Man With The Harmonica"), and filled with loads of color photos and images of albums! Franco's memoirs are often quite personal – at a level that sheds tremendous new light into the workings of the Italian scene back in these days, and filled with loads of great asides and stories that are as compelling as the historical details themselves. The book is heavy on text, but features many images in color – including a huge section in the back that offers cover images for dozens of classic albums on the Beat label! CD features 19 of the funkiest, grooviest tracks ever from Beat – titles by Armando Trovajoli, Franco Micalizzi, Alessandro Alessandroni, Roberto Pregadio, and many others – and the book is over 200 pages, softcover, and very nicely done! (Note: This is a second edition of the book From Beat To Beat – reprinted with a new title, and 24 more pages of material.)

Group therapy is Nas, B Real, KRS One and RBX, with production by Dr Dre.

Art Hodes in on piano and is joined by Max Kaminsky on trumpet, Ray Conniff on trombone, Rod Cless on clarinet, Jack Bland on guitar, Bob Haggard and Sid Jacobs on bass and Danny Alvin on drums. Tracks include "Doctor Jazz", "Yellow Dog Blues", "Changes Made", "Slow Em Down Blues", "Maple Leaf Rag", "Shoe Shiner's Drag", "She's Crying For Me", and "Clark & Randolph".

A stunner! Philly Joe's Beat is a beautiful bit of modernist hardbop by the drummer. Philly Joe pounds away with his usual clarity and groove, but the real treat is an unexpected appearance by the great Bill Barron, who plays tenor on the session. Barron's tenor is amazingly precise, and filled with far-reaching concepts, economically trimmed to fit into some nice tight solos. Tracks include "Muse Rapture", "Lori", "Dear Old Stockholm", "Salt Peanuts", "Got To Take Another Chance", and "That's Earl Brother".

A motherlode of mid-to-late 60s Killer – 5 whole albums for Smash Records – I'm On Fire, Return Of Rock, Memphis Beat, Soul My Way and Together (with Linda Gail Lewis) – in a 2CD set! The heart of the collection are the records Jerry Lee cut for Smash from '65-'67 – and they're classic to us, but actually quite overlooked in the canon – with some blistering takes on Memphis rock, soul and boogie woogie – great records that didn't sell a ton of copies at the time, leading up to his stellar run as a country music star. It also includes '69's I'm On Fire compilation of singles from the earlier 60s, and his decent country duets album with sister Linda Gail Lewis. 58 songs and almost 2 1/2 hours of vintage Jerry Lee Lewis! Includes "Memphis Beat", "I'm On Fire", "This Must Be The Place", "Hit The Road Jack", "Flip, Flop And Fly", "Baby, Hold Me Close", "Sexy Ways", "Mathilda", "Sticks And Stones", "Big Boss Man", "The Urge", "Shotgun Man", "I Bet You're Gonna Like It", "Secret Places", "Jackson", "We Live In Two Different Worlds" and many more!

A beautiful testament to the T-909 drum machine – and almost more of a book than a drawing! The package comes with two totally cool color flexi-disc, and a 20 page booklet that features exceprts from Joe's larger treatise on the rhythm phenomenon – with some great phtos and drawings too! Schoolly D narrates the beats, with cuts by DJ 7L!

An offshoot of the 4AD rock scene from the UK, this number sampled Rakim from "Paid In Full" to great effect – and it made quite a bit of sense that the track was issued on 4th & Broadway in the US (probably also a legal move, so that the label wouldn't sue 4AD for copping a sample from one of their artists! The record features a bit of scratching by CJ Mackintosh, with a bubbly beat that made it huge on both sides of the Atlantic.

A killer from Willie Mitchell – harder, funkier, and a lot more soulful than most of his other records from the 60s! The groove here is sock-soul, and most cuts have a hard and tight funky 45 approach. Willie was really cut loose on this one – freed from his usual standard of recording hits and pop songs, he wrote all the songs on the set – and they're heavy Memphis instrumentals with a sound that's much more like 60s Bar Kays work on Stax! There's a great sax player on the session, too – not named in the notes, unfortunately, but with a sound that really wails on the best tracks. Titles include "Fat Cat", "Pep Talk", "That Driving Beat", "The Champion (parts 1 & 2)", "Nick O Demus", "Everything Is Gonna Be Alright", and "Stone Face".

Great Arnold Roth cover on this one!

A lost chapter from the late 60s/early 70s Ghana scene – a great mix of African rhythms & melodies with the raw grit of garage rock, the heavy groove of funk and soul, the swirling and fuzzed out guitars and organ of psychedelia – the Psycho African Beat of The Psychedelic Aliens! The group released one 4 song EP and a pair of 7-inches in it's 3 year existence. Academy compiles and beautifully packages all of those songs here and they are completely incredible – it's an almost painfully brief blast of pure genius, but important and vital work that needs to be heard! Psychedelic funk from Ghana with a raw edge and soulful groove. Includes "Blofonyobi Wo Atale", "Hijacking", "We're Laughing", "Extraordinary Woman", "Gbekeke Wo Taoc", "Gbomei Adesai", "Homowo", "Okponmo Ni Tisitsi Emo Le".

A smoking set of work from Tito Puente – four classic albums, wrapped together in a single package – with a bonus album of rare material too! First up is Cuban Carnival – one of Tito Puente's finest albums for RCA, with a tight hard bunch of cuts that have a Cuban big band sound, and a lot more drive to them than some of Tito's other work for the label. Ray Bryant wrote the great track "Cuban Fantasy", and Tito contributed most of the other tunes on the set – a really unique batch of material that includes "Yambeque", "Elegua Chango", "Que Sera", and "Cha Cha De Pollos". The percussion is nice and hard, and the band grooves in tight ensemble playing throughout! Night Beat is a really jazzy effort that was cut with a top-shelf list of players! The groove's a bit different than some of Tito's other work – but in a good way, and one that has him stretching past straight Latin to mix in a heavy dose of jazz – really getting the most of players who include Eddie Bert on trombone, Gene Quill on saxes, Bernie Glow on trumpet, and Barry Galbraith on guitar. The rhythms are key – and in addition to drums from Jimmy Cobb, the album also features Mongo Santamaria on congas and Willy Correa on bongos – not to mention more percussion from Tito himself! Dance Mania is a burner of a set from Tito Puente – very well titled to suit the energy of the session! The tracks are all highly rhythmic numbers – short, but filled with jazzy horn flourishes and the kind of snapping rhythms that made the Puente group one of the biggest crossover favorites of the 50s. Tunes nicely mix up vocals with some more pronounced jazz soloing – getting a heck of a lot into a relatively small space, and really keeping up the energy of the record overall. Revolving Bandstand is a joint project from Tito Puente and Buddy Morrow – both leaders who recorded some great work for the label in the 50s, sounding great here in a unique variation on their classic sounds! The album has both Morrow and Puente playing back to back – creating a "revolving bandstand" that has both groups playing the same tunes at the same time – a very odd approach, but one that comes off well here – mixing Tito's Latin and Buddy's swing nicely, without too much confusion in the instrumentation. There's some great vibes on a few tracks! Last up is Tito Puente Quatro Bonus Edition – a set that features 13 rare tracks, with singles, outtakes, and more – including "La Virgen De La Macarena", "Moonlight In Vermont", "The Continental (alt take)", "Blue Moon (alt)", "Ran Kan Kan", "Timbal Y Bongo", and many outtakes of "Pa Los Rumberos"! All LPs on 180 gram vinyl – with liner notes too!

Heavy drums from this mighty pair – presented together on two classic albums! Burnin Beat is a drum-heavy spectacular that returns Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich to their big band roots – thanks to some hard-swinging arrangements from George Williams! The tracks are a bit shorter and done with a larger group than on some of the other Rich or Krupa sides for Verve – but there actually seems to be even more drum pyrotechnics here, possibly because the players' efforts are compressed into such a tight space! Production is a bit odd – with the drums so high in the mix that they sometimes come across with more treble than bass – but that really highlights some of the most inventive moments on the top of the kit as well. Titles include "Duet", "Perdido", "Evolution", "Night Train", and "Hawaiian War Chant". Original Drum Battle is a pretty darn great album – with a wonderful mix of JATP swing and strong-handed drumming by the leaders. The material was recorded at a Jazz At The Philharmonic show at Carnegie Hall in 1952, and although the main focus appears to be Krupa and Rich's drum work, there's actually some fantastic sax playing on the album – from both the alto of Willie Smith and the tenor of Flip Phillips, both of whom are at the height of their powers in this relaxed setting, working amazingly well around the bombastic drum pounding of Krupa and Rich. Tracks are long, and titles include "Idaho", "Flying Home", "Drum Boogie", "Drum Battle", and "Perdido".

Ragas and disco – an amazing little combination, with results that are greater than the sum of its parts! This album's hardly the cheesy affair you might expect – and instead of just adding a few typical Indian flourishes to disco music, Charanjit Singh comes up with a unique new groove – one that's filled with plenty of weird keyboards and moog bits throughout – kind of like a collision between Kraftwerk, 70s Bollywood, and P&P Records – all references we can wholeheartedly endorse! The grooves are quite fast – but that makes the keyboard work even more amazing, because Singh can really spin things out pretty damn quickly – coming up with these hypnotic keyboard bits that are more mesmerizing than even the grooves at the bottom. Very nicely packaged, in a bold second chapter for the Bombay Connection enterprise – and titles include "Raga Lalit", "Raga Khupali", "Raga Vaman", "Raga Kalavati", "Raga Todi", "Raga Malkaune", and "Raga Madhuvanti".

Produced by Frankie Cutlass.

Groovy groovy sitar pop – played by Big Jim Sullivan, also known as Lord Sitar! This set is a great session of 60s pop tunes, turned Eastern, in the mode of work by Ananda Shankar or Vince Bell – with a blend of original compositions, mixing sitar, tabla, and all manner of baroque 60s arrangements. The tracks include some excellent originals – like "Ltts" and "The Koan" – plus groovery covers like "She's Leaving Home", "Sunshine Superman", and Donovan's great "Trans Love Airways"!

Although he's best known for his vocal R&B hit "Heartbreak", Jon Thomas was also a darn good organist, and this mid 50s album for Mercury's a nice batch of sides in the same tradition as contemporaneous work by Bill Doggett and Doc Bagby. The tracks are short and lively, and Jon plays with most of the stops out, for a vibrato-heavy sound. Titles include "Blu Jon", "Hot Tip", "Fat Back", "Go & See", and "Jelly Belly".

Exciting flute from the Japanese scene of the 70s – a wicked little set that's filled with funky numbers throughout! The backings are large, but often nice and tight – kind of a groove-ified version of the 60s approach to bigger band jazz albums based around a single soloist – a great choice here for flute man Yokota Toshiaki, whose lead lines are filled with soul, and mighty nice – almost a bit like Hubert Laws at the same time in the US! Most titles are covers – and the set includes versions of "Spinning Wheel", "Vehicle", "Travelin Band", "Little Green Bag", "Born To Be Wild", and "The Maltese Melody".

Way more than just a sweet beat – because everything about these grooves is great – a rich array of jazzy tracks from Polish reedman Jan Ptasyn Wroblewski, cut in a style that rivals the best European jazz sides of the late 60s – but also done with an occasional soundtrack vibe as well! The core combo is backed with some fuller orchestrations – but always in a way that just augments the sharp instrumentation from Jan and the other players – a lineup that also features some great piano, organ, and harpsichord – alongside bass, drums, and percussion! At times, there's a Verve 60s groovy feel to some of the backings – but the sharpness of the musical ideas really keeps things interesting – and Jan's one hell of a soulful player when he wants to be. Titles include "Jesien", "Bitwa O Grzede", "Dziewcynha Tanczaca", "Sweet Beat", "300 Kilometrow Przed Nami", and "Nie Pozaluje Pan". CD also features 14 more bonus tracks added to the original album – loads more vintage gems from the Polish Radio vaults, including "Trawa", "Tata Lata", "Tylko Spokoj", "Tango Nieforme", and "Stopniowanie".

Groovy tunes with a heavy soundtrack bounce – all great numbers lifted from older Italian scores, plus a few other tunes by recent Italian groups who have a definite retro groove! The feel is great – with lots of organ, bouncy drums, and weird little sounds, all humming some hip grooves that sound very very fresh to our ears. Beat, shake, and jerk tunes abound – and many of these numbers are making their first appearance ever on CD, too! Titles include "Laila Laila" by Ennio Morricone, "Gimme Time" by Sante Maria Romitelli, "Psycho Sitar" by Magnetic 4, "I Was A Yeh Yeh Girl" by Doing Time, "I Giovani Tigri" by Piero Piccioni, "Roma Bene" by Luis Bacalov, "Quand Ero Un Bebe" by Vip 2000, "Il Tallone Di Achille" by Franco De Masi, and "Il Divorzio" by Fred Buongusto.

Nice one! 14 tight independent hip hop joints all with the crisp, soulful vibe that's Spinna's hallmark, even if he didn't produce all of them, though he was responsible for many. As with some other popular compilation/mix series you get one disc of the tracks in their full versions, unmixed, and another with Spinna getting to work on the 1's and 2's for a continuous set that flows like hot butter over popcorn. Spinna's deep hip hop roots show through nicely with tracks by the Jigmastas and 7L & Esoteric saddling up next to nice instrumentals by Spinna himself as well as 88 Keys and Kingsize. With "Lyrical Fluctuation 2000 (Spinna mix)" by the Jigmastas, "3ree6ix5ive" by Old World Disorder, "Take A Look" by the Domecrackers, "Across The Globe" by the Jay I Geez, "Precision" by Kingsize and 9 more slices of underground niceness to keep your head boppin', packaged beautifully in a really nice foldout cardboard sleeve in a slipcase!

Excellent funky and groovy tracks pulled from the catalog of the legendary Cinevox Records – home to some of Italy's greatest soundtrack work of the 60s and 70s! Sure, we've had some of the label's great stuff on single CDs – but this set pulls from a lot of soundtracks that haven't been reissued yet, and also includes a number of tracks that were never issued before at all! There's plenty of funky drums, fuzzy guitars, groovy organ, and lots of other nice bits in the set's 16 tracks – and the overall sound is a nice departure from some of the other Italian compilations. Titles include "Unknit" by Carlo Rustichelli, "2968" by Carlo Savina, "Up To Date" by Fred Bongusto, "5 Bambole Per La Luna D'Agosto" by Piero Umiliani, "Milano Rhythm & Blues" by Gianni Ferrio, "Serata Al Night" by Guido De Angelis, and "Il Dopolotta" by Piero Piccioni.

Fab and groovy! The Cinevox label was home to some of the swinginest soundtrack music to come out of Italy in the 60s and 70s – but lots of it's been buried for years, or relegated to pricey Japanese-only reissues. This set does a great job of correcting that problem – by sampling some of the greatest grooves from the legendary label, serving them up in a very strong 16 track set that's filled with loads of wonderful moments that you won't find elsewhere! Tracks include "Diamonds" by Franco Bixio, "Quicksilver (new edit)" by Giorgio Gaslini, "Car Chase At Margellina" by Guido e Maurizio De Angelis, "Fai Presto" by Gianni Ferrio, "Blue Rhythm Festival (new edit)" by Piero Piccioni, "Crazy Sax" by Augusto Martelli, and "Break" by Franco Bixio.

We don't know if this music actually "started" the Italian Lounge scene – because Italy's always been pretty darn loungey to us – but we can say that the package is a great batch of groovy soundtrack tunes, as sparkling musically as the cover is visually! The set pulls together 15 tracks from obscure 60s and 70s soundtracks – featuring work from some of Italy's hipper composers, and focusing on tunes of theirs with an upbeat, bouncy, mod 60s kind of approach! Titles include "Beirut Shake" by Luis Bacalov, "Love War Call" by Piero Piccioni, "Big Doll Shake" by Luis Bacalov, "Inchiesta (new edit)" by Bertio Pisano, "Party Mood" by Armando Trovajoli, and "Seven Times Seven" by The Casuals.

Fuzzed-out groovy 60s tunes – very mod, hip, and out of this world! These tasty little gems are pulled from obscure Italian soundtracks – very nicely collected in this fab package, with an ear-popping sound that includes great work on organ, guitars, electric harpsichord, and other instrumentation just right for coming up with a Blow Up party mood! Titles include "Discoteque Party" by Piero Umiliani, "Franco Nero Shake (new edit)" by Fred Bongusto, "Catherine Spaak Shake (new edit)" by Armando Trovajoli, "Easy Dreamer" by Piero Piccioni, "I Baronetti" by Alessandro Alessandroni, "Gaby Shake" by Nico Fidenco, and "Black Sheep Shake" by Luis Bacalov.

A great batch of songs by legendary New Orleans R&B and soul producer Dave Bartholomew – recorded by a sprawling line-up of soul, pop, R&B and rockers – another revelatory set in the Ace Records series of songwriter compilations! The numbers here stretch back to the 50s and continue up to the end of the 60s/start of the 70s – with Bartholomew-penned tunes done here by Fats Domino, Shirley & Lee, Elvis Presley, Johnny Burnette, Brenda Lee, Georgie Fame, Bobby Charles, Tami Lynn, Bobby Mitchell, Dave Bartholomew himself and many more! 25 tracks in all: "The Fat Man" by Fats Domino, "Ain't Gonna Do It" by The Pelicans, "Blue Monday" by Georgie Fame & The Blue Fames, "Sick And Tired" by Neville Grant, "One Night Of Sin" by Tami Lynn, "The Big Beat" bh The Del Vikings, "The Monkey" by Dave Bartholomew and many more.

Beautiful bossa from the vaults of Brazil's Elenco Records – warm, breezy treasures from the heart of the 60s with numbers by legendary singers and groups such as Edo Lobo, Quarteto Me Cy, Nara Leao, Baden Powell, MPB-4 and more! The independent Elenco label was founded in Rio in 1963 and aimed to bring the biggest names in bossa together under one roof. The label not only succeeded in that effort, but the artists brought out some of their best performances! Soul Jazz not only puts together essential material – compiled by Stuart Baker, who also contributes the exceptional sleeve notes – they manage to outdo themselves, which is honestly an incredible thing, considering that every compilation they put out is filled with treasures. The booklet features Baker's notes, some photos of the artists, and some original Elenco album cover art – the latter of which is nicely paid tribute to with Soul Jazz's own packaging for the set. 23 tracks in all: "Resolucao" by Edu Lobo w/Tamba Trio, "Consolocao" by Baden Powell, "O Canto De Ossanha" by Quarteto Em Cy, "Zanzibar" by Edu Lobo, "Maria Moita" by Nara Leo, "Enquanto A Tristesse Nao Vem" by Sergio Ricardo, "Negro" by Lucio Alves, "Sentinela" by MPB-4 and more.

Hip hop, street soul, and lots lots more – a really revolutionary selection of music from the legendary Celluloid Records – a label that was virtually a genre unto itself! Celluloid was a key force tying together the New York downtown scene at the start of the 80s, and the postcolonial music world of Paris – and as a result, they always operated with a culture-crossing style that few other companies of the time managed to hit – merging together sounds in really unlikely ways, and often coming up with fresh new styles in the process! The label's known for crate-diggers for its hip hop releases – and to world music fans for its electric Africa work – but they also were on the forefront of New York No Wave, avant jazz, and post-punk – and somehow found a way to integrate both young new talents, and older experimentalists who still had plenty to offer. This package finally does Celluloid justice – and goes way past the few simplistic comps of the label's work over the years – training the skilled Strut ear to the whole thing, and also serving up the full story of the label in the process. Titles include "I'm The One" by Material, "Day Tripper" by Shockabilly, "Tele Apres La Meteo" by Fredinand, "Disco Rough (long version)" by Mathematiques Modernes, "Electrique Sylvie (full length version)" by Modern Guy, "Mean Machine Chant/Mean Machine" by Last Poets, "Abele Dance ('85 rmx)" by Manu Dibango, "Change The Beat (French & English)" by Fab 5 Freddy, "The Escapades Of Futura 2000" by Futura 2000 with The Clash, and "Downing Street Rock" by Winston Edwards & Blackbeard. 26 tracks in all!

Massive Afro Funk! This slammin' batch of funky African (and African-sounding) tunes was put together by the same team who did the Africa Funk set on Harmless – and it's even better than that one was! Like Africa Funk, this set compiles a whopping batch of rare tracks from the 70s, plus a few from other eras that have a 70s feel – and the mix of tracks is filled with heavy drums, pounding percussion, funky keyboards, and choppy guitar riffs. You might have a few of the cuts on here, but most of them are quite rare, and the set's well worth having for newcomers and trainspotters alike! Titles include "Silver Black Summer Day" by Living Funk, "Rhythm On Rhythm" by Sookie, "Afro Funk" by Peter King, "Jungle Funk" by Nkengas, "Samba" by Miriam Makeba, "Everybody's Groove" by Ashantis, "Karam Bani" by Buari, and a nice remake of "Soul Makossa" by The Gaytones!

A superior second volume of tropical cumbia from Vampi Soul – and a more expansive set than the first one, too! The vast majority the the great stuff here comes from the psych and immediate post-psych years– and it has the tripped-out sounds to show for it – but those are anchored nicely, by feverish percussion and tight tropical rhythms. Beyond that are some some great wah wah guitar, trippy organs, Moog and synth grooves – for a really great sound! This volume is also pretty heavy with instrumentals, but there's some standout vocal tunes, too – with numbers by Los Destellos, Compay Quinto, Los Yungas, Grupo Celeste, Juaneco Y Su Combo, Los Demonios Del Mantaro, Los Ecos, Los Beta 5, Los Orientales De Paramonga and many more. Comes with a nice little booklet of photos, with notes in both Spanish and English. 34 tracks on 2CDs: "Mi Choza, Mi Chacra Y Mi Mujer" by Manzanita, "Boogaloo Del Perro" by Los Destellos, "Baila Flaquita Baila" by Los Ecos, "Illimana" by Los 5 Palomiullas, "Recordando A Fachin" by Juaneco Y Su Combo, "Sin Exito" by Grupo Celeste, "Selva, Selva" by Juanaco Y Su Combo, "Colegiala" by Los Ilusionistas, "El Panadero" by Los Beta 5, "Peti Pan" by Los Demonios Del Mantaro and many more.

RCA compilation featuring work by Esquivel, Perez Prado, Tito Puente, Xavier Cugat, and Russ Garcia. We're not sure if this stuff is exclusive to this album, but it's a great compilation anyway. Tracks include "Tampico" and "Sand In MY Shoes" by Tito Puente, "Night Music Must Fall" and "Oye Negra" by Xavier Cugat, "Guaglione" and "You're Driving Me Crazy" by Perez Prado, "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" and "Adios" by Esquivel, "Carioca" and "Baia" by Russ Garcia, "I've Got The World On A String" and "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me" by Luis Arcaraz

Soul & blues performances from Hoss Allen's 1966 Rhythm & Blues Revue program which ran on US television and is purported to be the first syndicated series ever revolving around black singers in the US! The history is incredible, but the compilation is all around the music and it's great stuff – featuring Gatemouth Brown, Rodge Martin, The Beat Boys, Earl Gaines, The Might Hannibal, Robert parker, Cleo Randle and many more. 24 tracks in all: "Have You Ever Been Mistreated" by Gatemouth Brown, "Hitch Hike" by The Beat Boys, "Empty Arms & Bitter Tears" by Gerri Taylor, "Respect" by Rodge Martin, "I Don't Know Why I Love You" by Clarence "Frogman" Henry, "24 Hours A Day" by Earl Gaines and much more.

A funky mod party throughout – and a wicked package of grooves we would have never tracked down on our own! The folks at London's New Untouchables have selected 25 of their favorite fuzzed-out 60s numbers for this set – a genre-busting batch of tracks that swings together mod jazz, sunshine pop, 60s R&B, French funk, British beat, and a host of other styles – all in the endless pursuit of a tripped-out 60s groove! The package is as wonderful as you might hope – and comes complete with some nice notes on the well-chosen batch of trippy tracks. Titles include "Nowhere To Run" by Les Lionceaux, "Mary Mary" by The Strangers, "You'd Better Be Going Now" by Zoot, "Hard Headed Baby" by Driftin 5, "Going Going Gone" by Phil Wainman, "I Think I'm A Man" by Chopper, "Hey Hey Bunny" by Los Gatos Negros, "Billy Sunshine" by Judi Scott, "Hip Hip Hurray" by The Snap Shots, "Mess Around" by Marmalade, "No No No" by Ola & The Janglers, "All You" by Sonny Burke Quartet, and "Easy To Know" by Gentle Influence.

Funky mod grooves galore – and a sublime second set in the Le Beat Bespoke series! This one is even better than the first – and seems to dig even deeper in the crates to come up with a range of rare singles from around the globe – all dripping with heavy drums, fuzzy guitars, and sweet sweet Hammond organ work! Many numbers have vocals, and most are from the rockish side of the spectrum – but they've all got a romping, grooving bottom end that more than makes them a little bit funky – usually in a groove that's way different than the sort you'd find on other funky compilations! The notes are great, the tracks are amazing, and the CD's one of the freshest funky sets to hit our racks in a long long time. CD features 20 titles that include "Madeline" by Dick Turpin, "Dude" by Poppys Haunted House, "Springtime" by Jimmy Thomas, "One Two Boogaloo" by The Light Nites, "Little Louise" by Shere Khan, "I Found You" by The Tops, "You Know He Did" by Mary McCarthy, "Rouge Rouge" by Christie Luame, "Truth In My Tears" by Louisa Jane White, "Berlin" by Heidi Bruhl, and "Run Shaker Life" by Paul Nicholas.

Raw mod and gritty funk rock grooves from team Le Beat Bespoke – the fourth set in the series – bubblegum garage, fuzzed out pop, funky percussion and wailing organs – this just might be the best in the series to date! Compiler Rob Bailey out does himself here, once again digging deep for obscure mod singles, groovy slabs of garage rock, with a few left turns such as a heavy Latin gem and a more psych-steeped number or two – propulsive, exciting numbers regardless of genre affections and fiery dancefloor ready rock tunes all the way! 20 tailor made cuts on the CD – a brief notes on each tune, all of which are exciting and groovy as can be! Titles include "Voodoo Medicine Man" by Jerry & Jeff, "False Alarm Love" by Peaceful Coalition, "Eg Veit Ao Pu Kemar" by Trubrat, "Feelin" by Joy Unlimited, "No Thank You Mr Pusher" by Big Tom, "King Of Siam" by East Of Eden", "Comin On Down" by The Twilights and more.

Mellow soul heaven – and one of the greatest compilations of this style we've ever heard! This is exactly the kind of laidback, tripped-out soul we totally love – a host of rare ballads and love songs pulled from the 45 underground of the late 60s and early 70s – sometimes by groups who are better known for funky tracks, other times by overlooked harmony groups and solo singers who rival the greatness of east coast artists like The Moments or Whatnauts! And while the music is totally great on its own – the sort we're usually content to have someone slip us on a dodgy CD – the whole package is even more incredible – a huge 80 page book that features loads of photos, record images, and notes on these obscure giants – really a Numero-level sort of presentation for these amazing tracks. Titles include "I Don't Think I'll Ever Love Another" by Darling Dears, "Slippin Around" by Thomas East, "Since You've Been Gone" by Little Janice, "Love" by Black Conspirators, "What Am I Waiting For" by Black Exotics, "Who Do You Think You're Fooling (part 1)" by Symphonic Four, "I'll Find A True Love" by Lee Bonds, "Young Girl" by Jazzie Cazzie & The Eight Sounds, and "Is It Me You Really Love" by Black Velvet. A really great 2LP package, too, with the book housed nicely in the center!

A tremendous overview of Carribean sounds from the 50s through the 70s – served up with exactly the kind of depth and care we've come to expect from the folks at Soul Jazz Records! The collection goes way past the obvious – and way past any obvious cliches as well – to really dig deep and draw some strong lines between the grooves of nations like Cuba, Colombia, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and St Thomas – all of whom are represented by really rhythm-heavy and uncommon sounds! Most numbers are heavy on percussion, but also show a bit of jazz and soul influence as well – the continuing influence of American styles on the sounds of the area, but always taken in by the local talents, and made into something new entirely. There's a number of heavy groovers here that lie somewhere in the territory between Jazzman mambo reissues and Honest Jon's compilation cuts – and titles include "I'll Be Right There" by Techniques, "Pa Los Obreros" by Frank Ferrer, "Elegua" by Gina Martin, "Nassau Cha Cha" by Andre Toussaint, "Saturday Night Reggae" by Mark Holder, "My Conversation" by Slim Smith, "The Queen Sings Calpyso" by Lord Brynner, "Chango" by Celia Cruz, "Canela" by Peanuts Taylor, "Repentino" by Grupo De Experimentation, "Pa Coco Solo" by Fajardo, "Don't Blame It On Elvis" by Fabulous McClevertys, "Mambo Caliente" by Bebo Valdes, and "Vitalolgy" by Duke Of Iron. Also includes a great documentary on DVD – Mirror To The Soul, the story of the British Pathe record label in the West Indies!

Groovy, moddish, magnificent and sunny girl pop from The Land Of The Rising Sun – pummeling drums, jumping arrangements and groovy vocals from the mid-to-late 60s Japanese scene! This is fantastic stuff, any kitch or novelty appeal you might be expecting is kind of muted by the exceptional quality and excellent performances – but it is flat out fun! As the title states, strains of pop, beat & bossa – plus mod & psychedelic fuzz – and the vocals girl group vocals are bright, rocking, playful or sultry or innocent depending on the groove! 25 tracks in all: "Black Room by Jun Mayuzumi, Sharock No 1" by Mie Nakao, "Nagisa No Tenshi" by Mieko Hirota, "Hatsu Koi No Letter" by Miki Obata, "Bazazz Tengoku" by The Cupids, "Aeba Suki Suki" by Margaret With Bunnys, "Nukui Aitsu" by Mika Nohira, "Kiiro No Sekai" by J Girls and more.

A buzzing collections of rare and previously unreleased garage rock singles – cut by the legendary Norman Petty at his Clovis Studios! Petty is being best remembered as a key figure in Buddy Holly busting the hillbilly/rock/r&b distinctions wide open in the late 50s, but Petty was was behind a ton of wonderful and comparably unheralded pulpy rockers throughout the 60s. This is a particularly searing and hard charging set – including the heavy Brits-influenced title track by the Holly-less Crickets, plus cuts by The Trolls, The Cinders, The Perils and many more! he 25 tracks in all: "Now Hear This" by The Crickets, "Three Minutes Time" and "Barbara White" by The Cinders, "I Don't Recall" by The Trolls, "Get Out Of My Life" and "It's Only Time" by The Chances, "Hate" by The Perils, "Sweet Sweet Sadie" by The Teardrops, "Say I Am (What I Am)" by Stu Mitchell & Doug Roberts, "Hey Little School Girl" by The Famous Last Words, "Love Me Again" by Barry Allen with Wes Dakus' Rebels and more!

Totally great – an amazing collection of music from the Tamil Film Industry in India – also known as Kollywood in some circles, and home to sounds that are quite different from more familiar Bollywood modes! The styles here are great – often a lot more offbeat and less straight pop than you'd know from more familiar Indian soundtracks – still done with the mix of a playback singer and composer, but often set to weird rhythms that bring in some nice touches from the 80s – used in ways that are pretty great and groovy overall! There's less of the full-on dance numbers at some points – and with the use of electronics, we'd almost be tempted to call some of this stuff more arty or new wave-styled Indian film music at times – especially on the two very moogy numbers included. The package is great – with notes on the music, scene, and singers – and titles include "Vikram Vikram", "Passing Out Parade (part 1)", "Love Theme", "Raaja Rajathi", and "Chittu Kuruvi" by Illaiyaraaja; "Cola Cola Coca Cola" by Shankar Ganesh, and "Nallavan Nallavan" by Hamsalekha,

A jaw-dropping compilation of garage rock singles from the mid 60s Swedish scene – hard driving tunes that stands up with some of the best 60s proto punk compilations we've come across! Searchin' For Shakes is a great listen purely for the visceral thrill of prime, pulpy rock & roll nuggets – but it's extra amazing for the prescient mid 60s sounds. Great stuff by Namelosers, Cherry Stones, Shakers, Boogjacks, Shanes and more! Titles include "Do-Ao" and "That's Allright" by Namelosers, "At The Club" by T-Boones, "Red Big Car" by Bootjacks, "I Don't Want Your Love" by Shanes, All I Want Is My Baby" by Shakers, "On My Way" by Lee Kings, "Go Away" by Cherry Stones, "Bo Bo Boggie Pack" by Annabee-Nox, "Out My Light" by Other Side, "Ramber" by Madmen, "Bye Bye" by Friends and more. 26 tracks in all!

Excellent compilation of Disco Not Disco style new wave tracks, on the awesome Ze imprint, with a great meeting of downtown new wave and disco sensibilities. 6 tracks in all: material "Busting Out", Was (Not Was) "Wheel Me Out", Christina "Drive My Car", Gichy Dan "Cowboys & Gangsters", Don Armando's 2nd Ave Rumba Band "Deputy Of Love" and Coati Mundi "Que Pasa/Me No Pop I".

Includes work by Makonga Tshole Band, Amaswazi Emvelo & Mahlathini, Dikika, Aabafakasi, and Jozi.

Early bossa jazz from Sergio Mendes – recorded with his famous Bossa Rio combo, in the years before he moved to America! The album's a classic in Brazilian jazz – a tight album of bossa-inflected jazz tunes played with razor-sharp precision, handled with a style that went on to influence countless other Brazilian groups at the time. Mendes is in the lead on piano, and other players include Edison Machado on drums, Raul De Souza on trombone, and Hector Costita on tenor sax. The whole thing's great – a masterpiece of both jazz and bossa – and it's filled with classic tunes arranged by Jobim, Moacir Santos, and Sergio himself. Titles include "Nana", "Primitivo", "Desafinado", "Ela E Carioca", "Amor Em Paz", "Noa Noa", and "Neurotico".

A tremendous overview of Carribean sounds from the 50s through the 70s – served up with exactly the kind of depth and care we've come to expect from the folks at Soul Jazz Records! The collection goes way past the obvious – and way past any obvious cliches as well – to really dig deep and draw some strong lines between the grooves of nations like Cuba, Colombia, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and St Thomas – all of whom are represented by really rhythm-heavy and uncommon sounds! Most numbers are heavy on percussion, but also show a bit of jazz and soul influence as well – the continuing influence of American styles on the sounds of the area, but always taken in by the local talents, and made into something new entirely. There's a number of heavy groovers here that lie somewhere in the territory between Jazzman mambo reissues and Honest Jon's compilation cuts – and titles include "I'll Be Right There" by Techniques, "Pa Los Obreros" by Frank Ferrer, "Elegua" by Gina Martin, "Nassau Cha Cha" by Andre Toussaint, "Saturday Night Reggae" by Mark Holder, "My Conversation" by Slim Smith, "The Queen Sings Calpyso" by Lord Brynner, "Chango" by Celia Cruz, "Canela" by Peanuts Taylor, "Repentino" by Grupo De Experimentation, "Pa Coco Solo" by Fajardo, "Don't Blame It On Elvis" by Fabulous McClevertys, "Mambo Caliente" by Bebo Valdes, and "Vitalolgy" by Duke Of Iron.

A tremendous overview of Carribean sounds from the 50s through the 70s – served up with exactly the kind of depth and care we've come to expect from the folks at Soul Jazz Records! The collection goes way past the obvious – and way past any obvious cliches as well – to really dig deep and draw some strong lines between the grooves of nations like Cuba, Colombia, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and St Thomas – all of whom are represented by really rhythm-heavy and uncommon sounds! Most numbers are heavy on percussion, but also show a bit of jazz and soul influence as well – the continuing influence of American styles on the sounds of the area, but always taken in by the local talents, and made into something new entirely. There's a number of heavy groovers here that lie somewhere in the territory between Jazzman mambo reissues and Honest Jon's compilation cuts – and titles include "I'll Be Right There" by Techniques, "Pa Los Obreros" by Frank Ferrer, "Elegua" by Gina Martin, "Nassau Cha Cha" by Andre Toussaint, "Saturday Night Reggae" by Mark Holder, "My Conversation" by Slim Smith, "The Queen Sings Calpyso" by Lord Brynner, "Chango" by Celia Cruz, "Canela" by Peanuts Taylor, "Repentino" by Grupo De Experimentation, "Pa Coco Solo" by Fajardo, "Don't Blame It On Elvis" by Fabulous McClevertys, "Mambo Caliente" by Bebo Valdes, and "Vitalolgy" by Duke Of Iron. Also includes a great documentary on DVD – Mirror To The Soul, the story of the British Pathe record label in the West Indies!

The long awaited sides C & D in Madlib's incredible blend of Bombay soundtrack-styled funk, blunted Eastern beats, and all round stunning Middle Eastern accented hip hop instros! This time out Madlib, er, Beat Konducta is conducting beats, strings & things from India and/or otherwise East – but the way in which the beats bluntly thump is quintessential Madlib – you know it and love it from the first beat! 'Lib really breathes fresh life into this approach – going miles deeper than anyone out there doing the Bollywood-hip hop hybrid – coming up with a sound all his own. Amazing! "Get It Right", "More Rice", "Indian Bells", "Club Scene", "Duel", "Organ Stroll", "In The Cave", "Malfunction", "Victory", "Smoke Circle", "Raw Ground Wire", "New Bombay", "Shah Sound", "Another Getaway", and more.

Two killers from Chicago guitarist Bobby Broom – both recorded near the start of his career! First up is Clean Sweep, killer set from a player who should have been huge – ultra-sweet guitarist Bobby Broom, a player we'd vote to become the next big heir to the sound of Wes Montgomery or George Benson! This debut set is a wicked mix of jazz and soul – recorded right at the best stretch of the early GRP label, with a similar blend and sense of depth as the label's initial albums by Don Blackman and Bernard Wright! The core groove focuses strongly on Broom's guitar, but there's also some great vocal numbers too – and it turns out that Bobby's a surprisingly good singer, too – with a nicely honest vocal approach that works great alongside his guitar. Arrangements are by Broom, Dave Grusin, and Marcus Miller – and titles include "No Bad Vibes", "Saturday Night", "Niqui", "Share My Love", "She's My Reason", and "Remember When". Next up is Livin For The Beat is the second LP by this oft-overlooked, but excellent Chicago soul jazz guitarist – and a record that's quite different than his first! Like the second album by Bernard Wright, fellow labelmate at GRP/Arista, Broom's moving into a mode that's more electro/"street" for this second album – which means that there's a lot of keyboards and electronic percussion on the set, giving some tracks a proto-breaking kind of sound – more of a street-level sound than the smoother jazz mode of the first set – which makes for a really surprising change, and helps keep the record away from mainstream fusion cliches of the time. The best cuts, though, are in a smooth 80s groove mode – and Broom shows that he's strong on the vocal tip as well as the guitar. Titles include "Let It Go", "Let's Stay Together", "Rubye", "He Said I Love You", "Beat Freak", "Give Me Your Love", and "Magic Johnson".

A fantastic album from Sonny Criss! The record is one of his excellent late 60s "comeback" sides for Prestige – and it features incredibly solid, confident, and hard alto solos, blown with a tremendous amount of imagination. Bob Cranshaw and Alan Dawson provide excellent rhythm accompaniment, and Cedar Walton's a genius on piano, providing just the right touches to give the album a sense of mature whimsy that makes the selection of tracks work perfectly in a jazz setting. There's a lot of room here, and him and Sonny intertwine constantly in a beautiful lyrical way that never gets too sentimental. Titles include "Ode To Billie Joe", "Somewhere My Love", "The Beat Goes On", and "Georgia Rose".

The title track to Fanga's great Natural Juice album is served up here in a sweet extended version – one that spins out with all the skittish percussion, scratchy guitar, and snakey keyboards of a 70s Afro Funk number! The keyboard work is almost moogy at times, but never too thin – just nicely spooky – and the vocals are chanted strongly at the start, then drop out for plenty of long instrumental jamming! "I Didn't Know" is another great groove with a really Fela-like feel, and some especially nice horns – and the bonus beats on the single are both nice percussive breaks!

10 hip hop instrumentals from one of the originators, DJ Mark the 45 King. Includes a bonus double copy with the same tracks, so you can get busy on the 1's and 2's. Includes "Killer Strings", "Overture", "Mad Fat Beat", "Sexy Lady", "Greedy Beats", "Magic Dust", "Pop Up", "TV Tune", "Coyote" and "Pyramids".

Classic LKJ from the tumultuous late 70s years – self-produced, and featuring the tracks "Song Of Blood", "Doun De Road", "Five Nights Of Bleeding", "Man Free", and "All Wi Doin Is Defindin".

Sweet electric soundtrack work from the team of Hubert Laws & Earl Klugh – made even better by the fact that the whole thing's written and arranged by Patrick Williams! Williams' work is always a treat – with a good sense of space, timing, and groove that pushes past some of the more obvious styles that were creeping into both Laws' and Klugh's work at the time – making for a nice batch of tracks that have a late CTI/Kudu feel, polished up a bit for the soundtrack scene. Titles include "Down River", "Piccolo Boogie", "The Edge", "The Caper", "The Scuffle", and "Ready To Run".

Broadway is the beat, but the sound has plenty of Parisian touches, too – thanks to arrangements from the mighty Michel Legrand! Legrand's in a mode here that's somewhere between his earliest soundtracks, and the European-themed records he cut for Columbia in the late 50s – styles that are a bit more warm and sentimental than in later years, with evocative elements designed to coax the Broadway-based listener out on a voyage across the Atlantic! Strings are relatively full, and sometimes used with great dynamic energy – and titles include "Bewitched", "There's A Boat Dat's Leavin Soon For New York", "Old Devil Moon", "With A Little Bit Of Luck", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", and "Yesterdays".

Deep dubby almost techno feeling tracks from the first generation of house by Adonis with some help from Frankie Knuckles on the mix.

Remix by Stretch Armstrong.

An amazing package – filled with loads of rare gems – all vintage vinyl nuggets from the enormous collection of The Cramps! Lux Interior and Poison Ivy are legendary record collectors – and have been digging in thrift stores, warehouses, and basements for many decades – filling a love of music that even predates the formation of their famous group – and which went onto inform the sounds they made on their own! Given that the duo were out there digging for many years before the rest of us, they've definitely gotten their hands on some amazing gems over the years – a good number of which are presented here in an ultra-cool 10" vinyl package – subtitled in ways that really give you an idea of the sounds – "ghoulish exotica", "lip-curling rock n roll", "crazy mixed up sounds", and "instrumental madness". Titles include "The Cave" by Gary Spider Webb, "Wild Man Walk" by The Ebonettes, "Mashed Potatoes" by Noble Watts, "Unitar Rock" by Willie Joe & His Unitar, "Jibba Jab" by Tic & Toc, "From The Top Of Your Guggle" by The Five Blobs, "Gang War" by Gene Maltais, "Sugar Doll" by Johnny Jay, "Bongo Beatin Beatnik" by Joe Hall & The Corvettes, and "Dragon Walk" by The Noblemen.

Raw soul, heavy funk, snotty rock, and raucous R&B – all pulled from the legendary record collection of Lux Interior and Poison Ivy! The sounds here are the sorts that went onto form the blueprint for The Cramps – and the package is overflowing with rare gems that are hand-picked by the pair – the kind of underground, indie singles that have always made record-digging so great – plucked up by Lux and Ivy in the years before most of us even started searching for wax! The cool 10" set features two dozen tunes – and titles include "Drive Daddy Drive" by Little Sylvia, "Stormy Weather" by The Five Sharps, "Rock A Bongo Boogie" by Terry Snyder, "Red Headed Flea" by The Caps, "Chickie Run" by Homer Denison Jr, "99 Chicks" by Ron Haydock & The Boppers, "Baby Brother" by Bill Carter & The Rovin Gamblers, "Service With A Smile" by The Kuf-Linx, "Imagination" by The Quotations, "Tongue Tied" by Betty McQuade, and "The Vulture" by Ronny Ray's Playboys.

Blearly-eyed bebop, smoky nightclub jazz from the weary hours, and boozy beat sounds from the early 60s on this no frills, but fun compilation – bits by Frosty & The Diamonds, Slim Galliard, Coleman Hawkins, Ada Moore, Moondog, Elle Girl & 7 Beat Sulks, Gil Melle, Kenneth Rexroth and others! It's a diverse roster, but the style flows pretty consistently and and definitely get the mood across! Includes "Destination Mars" by Frosty & The Diamonds, "The Gears" by Gil Melle, "Cockroach" by Jack Kerouac, "Go Go Kitty" by The New Bangs, "Like" by Jack Hammer, "State & 32nd" by Kenneth Rexroth and more. 25 tracks on the CD.

A cool collection of offbeat and exotic jazz tunes – mostly late 50s numbers, and a really wonderful blend of vocal and instrumental numbers too! A few tracks feature spoken poetry – hence the "Beat Jazz" title – but the overall vibe of the record goes way past any beatnik cliches you might expect – and really has a sensitive full scope of the kind of hip underground sounds that were brimming up in the American underground of the postwar years! Titles include "The Hip Men" by Amus Moore, "Let Me Out" by Kenyon Hopkins, "Snake Hips" by Johnny Lewis Trio, "Mama's Place" by Bing Day, "Shock Treatment" by Mel Henke, "Desdemona's Lament" by Joya Sherril, "Sneaking" by Muhamed Habeebalah, and "Green Gin" by Ernie Andrews.

Fuzzed-out groovy 60s tunes – very mod, hip, and out of this world! These tasty little gems are pulled from obscure Italian soundtracks – very nicely collected in this fab package, with an ear-popping sound that includes great work on organ, guitars, electric harpsichord, and other instrumentation just right for coming up with a Blow Up party mood! Titles include "Discoteque Party" by Piero Umiliani, "Franco Nero Shake (new edit)" by Fred Bongusto, "Catherine Spaak Shake (new edit)" by Armando Trovajoli, "Easy Dreamer" by Piero Piccioni, "I Baronetti" by Alessandro Alessandroni, "Gaby Shake" by Nico Fidenco, and "Black Sheep Shake" by Luis Bacalov.

Jack Kerouac, Annie Ross, Lord Buckley, Ken Nordine, Lenny Bruce & others.

Hip hop, street soul, and lots lots more – a really revolutionary selection of music from the legendary Celluloid Records – a label that was virtually a genre unto itself! Celluloid was a key force tying together the New York downtown scene at the start of the 80s, and the postcolonial music world of Paris – and as a result, they always operated with a culture-crossing style that few other companies of the time managed to hit – merging together sounds in really unlikely ways, and often coming up with fresh new styles in the process! The label's known for crate-diggers for its hip hop releases – and to world music fans for its electric Africa work – but they also were on the forefront of New York No Wave, avant jazz, and post-punk – and somehow found a way to integrate both young new talents, and older experimentalists who still had plenty to offer. This package finally does Celluloid justice – and goes way past the few simplistic comps of the label's work over the years – training the skilled Strut ear to the whole thing, and also serving up the full story of the label in the process. Titles include "I'm The One" by Material, "Day Tripper" by Shockabilly, "Tele Apres La Meteo" by Fredinand, "Disco Rough (long version)" by Mathematiques Modernes, "Electrique Sylvie (full length version)" by Modern Guy, "Mean Machine Chant/Mean Machine" by Last Poets, "Abele Dance ('85 rmx)" by Manu Dibango, "Change The Beat (French & English)" by Fab 5 Freddy, "The Escapades Of Futura 2000" by Futura 2000 with The Clash, and "Downing Street Rock" by Winston Edwards & Blackbeard.

A superior second volume of tropical cumbia from Vampi Soul – and a more expansive set than the first one, too! The vast majority the the great stuff here comes from the psych and immediate post-psych years– and it has the tripped-out sounds to show for it – but those are anchored nicely, by feverish percussion and tight tropical rhythms. Beyond that are some some great wah wah guitar, trippy organs, Moog and synth grooves – for a really great sound! This volume is also pretty heavy with instrumentals, but there's some standout vocal tunes, too – with numbers by Los Destellos, Compay Quinto, Los Yungas, Grupo Celeste, Juaneco Y Su Combo, Los Demonios Del Mantaro, Los Ecos, Los Beta 5, Los Orientales De Paramonga and many more. Comes with a nice little booklet of photos, with notes in both Spanish and English. 34 tracks including "Mi Choza, Mi Chacra Y Mi Mujer" by Manzanita, "Boogaloo Del Perro" by Los Destellos, "Baila Flaquita Baila" by Los Ecos, "Illimana" by Los 5 Palomiullas, "Recordando A Fachin" by Juaneco Y Su Combo, "Sin Exito" by Grupo Celeste, "Selva, Selva" by Juanaco Y Su Combo, "Colegiala" by Los Ilusionistas, "El Panadero" by Los Beta 5, "Peti Pan" by Los Demonios Del Mantaro and many more.

Mindblowing work from the Italian soundtrack scene of the 60s and 70s – a true treasure of tracks that more than lives up to the "psycho beat" promise of its title! The tunes are a heady brew of tripped-out styles – floating organ, slinking bass, stepping strings, fuzzy guitar, and bumping drums – all in a space that's just the right place between funky and easy – with a sublime kind of sound that's unlike anything else we can think of! If you've only ever dug funky groovers from the Anglo side of the spectrum, this is the kind of record that will definitely open up your ears – and even though the collection's an old one, it's still one of the best illustrations around of the genius of Italy at the time! Titles include "Fotomodelle" by Piero Umiliani, "Red Face" by Barigozzi Group, "Shake Psycho" by Mario Molino, "Schegge" by Lesiman, "Rapimento In Sicilia" by Nino De Luca, "Essere Donna" by Piero Umiliani, "L'Appartamento Vuoto" by Gianni Ferrio, "La Fine Di Cobb" by Stelvio Cipriani, and "Hurricane" by Cesco Anselmo.